We're getting married!

Helen had just launched her photography business during her first year at UTK. Nam was a third-year student, and though they had seen each other around campus, they had never officially met. One day, while Helen was taking photos for a friend, Nam replied to her Snapchat story asking for a photoshoot. She was surprised because Nam was already a skilled photographer, but she saw it as a great opportunity to work with a male model. When the day came, Nam flipped the plan. Instead of being in front of the camera, he turned it on Helen. She didn’t mind since she had been wanting a few portraits anyway. Nam picked her up from her dorm, and they headed to the UT Botanical Gardens. During the shoot, his compliments caught her off guard, but she assumed he probably talked that way to all his clients. Still, when he handed her a water bottle before they left, something small but thoughtful, it stuck with her. They continued the shoot at Remedy Coffee, and afterward, Nam suggested dinner. Helen thought of it as a casual hangout and had no idea it was a date. Happy for a break from dining hall food, she agreed. They ended up at Tupelo Honey Cafe and talked for hours about life, future plans, and even big topics like marriage and family. They quickly realized how much they had in common, including a shared dream of moving to Memphis for graduate school. Looking back, it is funny. A guy from Dickson and a girl from Arlington met at UTK, not knowing they grew up just a couple of hours apart. Or that one day they would share a home, a future, and two spoiled cats.